1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a printer control system that is linked to a local area network (LAN) and other communications information networks for efficient processing of print requests generated from a plurality of workstations.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
LANs and other communications information networks (hereinafter referred to simply as "networks") generally have a plurality of workstations, files, facsimiles and various other servers linked thereto, as well as a print server that is composed of a print job controller and a printing processor which is controlled by said print job controller in the execution of various print jobs (said print server is hereinafter referred to simply as a "printer").
The essential part of a network of the type contemplated by the present invention is shown schematically in FIG. 7, in which the network generally indicated by 10 has linked thereto various servers including a plurality of workstations 11 (11-1, 11-2, . . . 11-n), a printer 12, a facsimile 13 and a file 14.
While many workstations generating print jobs are usually linked to the network, a smaller number of printers 12 are used and, in a typical case, a single printer is used with several workstations.
Thus, in order that a number of print jobs generated from a plurality of workstations 11 are executed in a predetermined order, the print job controller builds a print queue, according to which a specific print processing will be performed.
Taking the printer control system of Xerox Corporation as an example, it is provided with a capability of automatically changing the order of print jobs in the print queue in accordance with the sort option designated by the operator. When this system receives a new print job, the queue identifier of that print job will be inserted into the print queue at an optimum position in accordance with the sort option designated by the operator. The system is so designed that in the absence of a designated sort option, the operator is free to rearrange queue identifiers in the print queue by changing their positions. If a particular sort option is designated by the operator, the system will disregard the position of the queue identifier for the operator-designated job in the print queue and rearrange queue identifiers in the order that complies with the designated particular sort option.
The following four sort options (1)-(4) may be designated
(1) print requests are sorted according to the time they are entered (First-in First-out, or FIFO);
(2) the queue identifier for the print job that requires binding is inserted at the top of the print queue (Binder First);
(3) print requests are sorted according to the requested time of printing (Short Job First); and
(4) the media (printing media) required in a particular print job are compared with the media loaded in the printer and the queue identifier of a print job which is such that all the media it requires are loaded (e.g., a print job that uses a plurality of media to print graphs on OHP sheets and sentences on sheets of plain paper to create a report containing the graphs) is inserted at the top of the print queue (Stack Match).
The system of the kind outlined above is described in many books, for example, "Local Area Networks" ed. by Akihiro Kamiya and published by Maruzen, pp. 229-256.
When a certain print job is processed for printout with the printer outlined above, namely, at the time when the queue identifier of that print job has come to the head of the print queue, the operator checks as to whether the fonts used in the print job content (which may be exemplified by documents to be actually printed out) are loaded in the printer control system and those which are not loaded are replaced by loaded similar fonts for printout. However, this causes the problem that the document printed out looks different desired by the person who asked the operator to print the document.